7 hrs ago
Instagram Ads Expose India’s Child Abuse Reporting Gaps
Some paid Instagram ads allegedly used words such as “rape video” and “child video” to send people to Telegram channels with abusive material involving children.
The National Human Rights Commission is asking government agencies and Meta what happened and whether the law was followed.
Indian law says suspected child sexual abuse must be reported to police.
Technology companies also send many alerts about suspected abuse to authorities through the CyberTipline system.
Police check these reports, identify where the activity happened and try to find the people involved.
They use account information, internet records, phones and payment trails as evidence.
Some reports are incomplete, and sometimes it is difficult to tell whether the person shown is a child.
The report may show where material was found, but not where it originally came from.
Experts say delays and newer tools such as encryption and artificial intelligence make these crimes harder to investigate.
The NHRC issued notices to MeitY, MIB and Delhi Police over Instagram ads allegedly directing users to Telegram channels offering child sexual abuse material.
The Commission asked whether Meta complied with mandatory reporting duties under Section 19 of the POCSO Act.
It also questioned whether Meta’s AI-assisted recommendations, editing and monetisation functions are consistent with its status as an intermediary.
India received about 1.9 million CyberTipline reports in 2025, but only a fraction progressed to police action.
Investigations can stall over incomplete reports, uncertain victim ages, difficulties identifying offenders and delays across multiple agencies.
- Who
- The National Human Rights Commission, Meta, Indian government ministries, Delhi Police and investigators handling CyberTipline reports.
- What
- The NHRC issued notices over Instagram advertisements allegedly directing users to Telegram channels offering child sexual abuse material and questioned reporting duties and Meta’s intermediary status.
- Where
- The alleged advertising occurred on Instagram and directed users to Telegram; related reports were processed through Indian national, state and district authorities.
- When
- The notice was issued on Wednesday, September 2; the article also cites CyberTipline data from 2025 and crime data from 2024.
- Why
- The NHRC is examining whether suspected offences were reported as required and whether AI-enabled platform functions involve more than merely hosting third-party content.
Stronger Reporting and Accountability
Intermediary Protection and Existing Procedures
Mandatory reporting
Stronger Reporting and Accountability
The NHRC says statutory duties under Section 19 of the POCSO Act require suspected offences to be reported to police and cannot be replaced by internal correspondence or platform grievance processes.
Intermediary Protection and Existing Procedures
The existing reporting system routes platform-generated CyberTipline alerts through the National Crime Records Bureau, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre and state or district authorities for verification before an FIR is registered.
Meta’s legal status
Stronger Reporting and Accountability
The NHRC is examining whether Meta’s AI-assisted generation, editing, recommendation, amplification and monetisation functions make it more than a passive intermediary.
Intermediary Protection and Existing Procedures
The regulatory framework distinguishes between hosting or transmitting third-party content and acting as a publisher; the article presents this distinction as an unresolved legal question rather than a settled finding.
Efficiency of the reporting system
Stronger Reporting and Accountability
Experts argue that reports pass through multiple agencies, creating delays, and that law enforcement must adapt more quickly to encryption and AI-generated material.
Intermediary Protection and Existing Procedures
Police say reports must undergo jurisdiction checks, material verification and evidence collection, while incomplete reports or uncertainty about a victim’s age can prevent registration of a case.
Key facts
- NHRC action
- Notices were sent to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Delhi Police.
- Requested response
- The agencies were directed to submit an Action Taken Report to the NHRC within two weeks.
- Legal reporting duty
- Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act requires suspected offences to be reported to police.
- CyberTipline reports
- India received about 1.9 million reports in 2025, according to the article.
- 2024 cases
- Of 1,238 cybercrime cases registered against children under the Information Technology Act, 1,099 involved publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material depicting children.
- Investigation evidence
- Police may examine account details, IP logs, emails, phone numbers, device records, digital hashes and financial transactions.
- Trial forum
- POCSO Special Courts generally hear online child sexual abuse material cases involving relevant Information Technology Act offences.
Quotes
Naresh Diwan
Official with the Delhi Police Cyber Cell
“If viewing the video or photograph makes it appear, prima facie, that this is an obscene material pertaining to a minor, we register an FIR on that basis”
indianexpress.com
“So usually when the background is blurred, and the images are not clear, we do not register a case either”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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